


Lost and Found

by Ankh



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2013-11-26
Packaged: 2018-01-02 16:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1059102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ankh/pseuds/Ankh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam 'rescues' Daniel. Set during season 2. Spoilers for Show and Tell (minor)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost and Found

"Daniel, what are you doing!" Jaw hanging open, eyes filled with horror, Sam Carter pulled up abruptly as she entered Daniel Jackson's office.

The sudden intrusion, unexpected at this late hour - 2 am was normally a time of blissfully uninterrupted research - startled Daniel. He jerked upright in his chair. His hand jerked too.

"Ow! Dammit!" Daniel peered up from beneath a fringe of hair, scissors wavering above his head, a clump of hair held between his fingers. A small bubble of bright crimson blood welled up on the tip of his ear. Once his initial shock had faded the look on his face was faintly guilty, as though he had been discovered doing something rather naughty. There was also a touch of defiance in the eyes that fixed on Sam.

"What it looks like. I'm cutting my hair." Rubbing at his ear, he smeared the blood but did little to stem the bleeding. He gave Sam a reproving little frown but quickly glanced away when his friend and colleague continued to stare at him.

"You're cutting your hair," Sam repeated, unable to accept what she was seeing.

Knowing Daniel was likely to be awake, still wired from the events of the day and the attack on the base from the alien race Reetou, she had gone in search of coffee and Daniel - not necessarily in that order - only to find the archaeologist sitting at his desk, bare chested, a towel draped across his lap, and a pair of scissors ready to descend on his familiar shaggy, light brown hair. Why the sight of those scissors and the small heap of hair on his lap should unsettle her was something she chose not to think about too closely.

"Yes. I figured it was about time." He shrugged. "If I'm going to be on a military field unit I might as well look the part."

"That sounds like something Colonel O'Neill would say."

Hearing his friend's unspoken question, Daniel shook his head. "Jack's never said a word." He looked away, focussing on his task.

A sharp snip of metal blades - a thick clump of hair dropped down onto the towel.

Carter found she had to swallow a lump in her throat. There was something more than a simple haircut going on here - it felt as if Daniel was cutting away a part of himself though she couldn't have said why she got that impression.

Another snip, another clump gone.

"We do have barbers you know," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Daniel paused, blue eyes meeting hers, an unspoken answer there that Carter heard and understood. "*You* had to do this," she said softly, not fully understanding but accepting the fact.

Another snip, another clump, tumbling down to join its fellows.

"They slapped me on the back and congratulated me. Said they never would have taken me for a scientist if they hadn't known me."

"Who?" Carter asked gently, stepping closer until she was near enough to feel the warmth radiating from Daniel's body.

"I don't really know their names. Maybe I should. They were in the room with the boy - Charlie I guess we should call him. Outside I was still me. Then Jack gave the signal and - I lost me. I became someone else."

Another snip, another clump, more ragged this time as Daniel's hand shook a little.

"But you're you again."

"Am I? It's happened before, I've had to play the soldier. But always there was still a part of me in there, there was feeling, and I was the one feeling that emotion, that anger, that regret. But I went into the room and I didn't feel anything. Maybe that's for the best. The military way, right Sam?"

Sam shook her head, eyes warm. "I used to think that. Then a very good friend, a very good man, asked me 'who told you that?'. And I realised we can't just stop feeling because we think we have to. And if there are times when we have a duty to perform and we don't feel - well that doesn't make us less human. There are times we can shut feelings off, times when we can't, but no matter, we're still us. You did a good job today, Daniel. That you could, for that moment, focus so completely on your job that you pushed emotion aside well, that's nothing to be ashamed of. You did good. And it's nothing to fear. You'll always be you."

She gave a little laugh, eyes full of affection. "I don't think there's anything in this world that could change your basic 'Daniel-ness'. It'd be like trying to tame a tornado."

Daniel tilted his head to the side, smiling up at Carter, his eyes unclouded. "Huh. I'm not sure if there's a compliment in there..."

"Believe me. There's one hell of a compliment." She swept her eyes over the mess that was his hair, trying to hide her reaction. Lord, how stupid to feel as if she'd lost her friend. He was still here, even if he had feared he had lost a part of himself. He was looking a lot happier than he had a moment ago, the shadows gone from his eyes, a wry smile on his lips. "Actually, you kind of look like you've been hit by a tornado there, Daniel." She brushed a fingertip through his ragged hair, then feather-light across the tip of his blood-stained ear. Her smile a little crooked she asked gently, "Will you let me finish this?"

For a long moment Daniel stared up at his friend, face solemn, scissors grasped firmly in his hand. Then his smile came back, warming his entire face. "Sure. Just don't make it too short. I don't want to look too military, OK?"

Brushing her hand over the soft brown hair, Carter smiled to herself. "Oh, I don't think there's any fear of that. Now don't distract me - genius at work."


End file.
